Hard carbon films formed from plasma treated polymer surfaces

ABSTRACT

Hard-carbon films with unique structures, methods for producing the films, and articles coated by the films are provided. These hard-carbon films are synthesized by the plasma surface treatment of a polymer substrate or a polymer-coated substrate in a plasma containing SF x  species, where x is less than 6, and may be produced under room temperature, low pressure environments.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTERESTS

This invention was made with United States government support awarded bythe following agencies: USDA/CSREES 02-CRHF-0-6055. The United Statesgovernment has certain rights in this Invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Diamond has captured the attention of scientists for a long time becauseof its extreme properties. It is the hardest known material (˜90 GPa),and until recently was considered to have the highest bulk modulus(1.2×10¹² N/m²) and lowest compressibility. It has the highest knownthermal conductivity at room temperature (2×10³ W/m·K) and an extremelylow thermal expansion coefficient (0.8×10⁻⁶ K⁻¹). It is characterized bya broad optical transparency in the UV and IR regions. It is an electricinsulator with a resistivity at room temperature of ˜10¹⁶ Ω·cm, whichmay vary over a range as large as 10-10 ¹⁶ Ω cm when it is doped. It isbiocompatible, and exhibits negative electron affinity. See May, P. W.,CVD Diamond—A New Technology for the Future, Endeavour Magazine 1995,19(3), pp 101-106.

The first synthetic diamond crystals were produced from graphite usingvery high pressures and temperatures during the early 1950s,independently by two research teams, one in Sweden (Allmanna SvenskaElektriska Aktiebolaget) and the other in the USA (General ElectricCompany). See Ball, P., Hard Work: Diamond and Hard Materials, In Madeto Measure: New Materials for the 21^(st) Century, Princeton UniversityPress, 1999, p 313. During the subsequent decades the high pressure,high temperature GE diamond producing technology attained commercialstatus and has now become available world-wide.

The interest in diamond has once again resurged due to researchdemonstrating that polycrystalline diamond films and diamond-like carbonfilms can be deposited at low pressures and at relatively lowtemperatures by using techniques such as Chemical Vapor Deposition(CVD). Presently, all CVD approaches employed for the deposition ofdiamond films require the presence of activated carbon-containingprecursors. Other methods for the synthesis of diamond films haveinvolved the use of thermal, plasma, and combustion-flame approaches.

Most of the diamond and diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have beensynthesized by starting with hydrocarbon (HC) precursors such as methaneand acetylene. Studies have demonstrated that even if graphite, and notdiamond, is the thermodynamically stable solid carbon allotrope, diamondand diamond-like structures could be produced at low pressures andtemperatures in the presence of hydrogen atoms. See Landis, C.;Cleveland, T.; Cloninger, M. J.; and Pollock, D., Buckyballs, Diamond,and Graphite, In Topic Oriented Approach Development, available onlineat www.chem.wisc.edu/˜newtrad/CurrRef/TOAHome/TOAHome; Davis, R. F. Ed.Diamond Films and Coatings, Noyes Publications, 1993; and Monaghan, D.P.; Laing, K. C.; Logan, P. A.; Teer, P. and Teer, D. G., How to depositDLC successfully, Materials World 1993, 1(6), pp 347-349. The role ofhydrogen atoms in the formation of diamond and DLC structures has beenattributed to a number of factors. These include, (i) their efficiencyfor abstracting hydrogen atoms from the precursor hydrocarbon molecules,thereby generating an “activated” carbon-based species, (ii) theirability to “neutralize” surface dangling bonds thereby preventingcross-linking reaction mechanisms which are responsible for theformation of graphitic structures; and (iii) their etching specificityunder certain experimental conditions, which provides preference fordiamond formation at the expense of graphite.

During CVD and Plasma Enhanced CVD (PECVD) processes, the activatedmolecular fragments resulting from a specific HC/H₂ mixture aredeposited on substrate surfaces at 600-900° C. These high temperaturesare usually required to shift the reaction equilibrium towards theformation of diamond structures. However, the high substratetemperatures considerably limit the applications of these films becausethey cannot be deposited on temperature-sensitive substrates, such aspolymers and low melting point alloys. Moreover, CVD techniques resultin deposition of films composed of a network of small diamond crystalsin the micrometer range, which may be unsuitable for applicationsrequiring highly uniform and smooth films.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Hard-carbon films with unique structures, methods for producing thefilms, and articles coated with the films are provided. Thesehard-carbon films are synthesized by the plasma surface treatment of apolymer substrate or a polymer-coated substrate in a plasma containingSF_(x) species, where x is less than 6, and may be produced under roomtemperature, low pressure environments.

The hard-carbon films may be produced by exposing an organic polymericsurface to a plasma containing SF_(x) species, where x is less than 6,and under reaction conditions suitable for converting the polymericsurface into a diamond-like carbon film. The films provide hard, lowfriction surfaces that may be used in a large number of applications.Under certain plasma reaction conditions, films may be produced having aMohs hardness value of at least 9 measured by the wearing of a ruby ball(Mohs hardness of 9) dragged in a circular motion on the films duringfretting wear tests.

The hard films may be characterized by a high carbon content. Forexample, the carbon content in the hard films may be at least about 90atomic percent. The hard films may also be characterized by low oxygenand hydrogen contents. For example, the oxygen and hydrogen contents ofthe films may each be less than about 5 atomic percent. The plasmaconditions are desirably chosen such that little or nosurface-fluorination occurs during the treatment of the surface. Assuch, in some embodiments, the films may have a fluorine content of lessthan about 2 atomic percent.

The hard carbon films may be produced in any suitable plasma reactor,many of which are known and commercially available. The plasma containsSF_(x) species, where x may be from 1 to 5, which may be produced fromsulfur hexafluoride gas in the reactor. The plasma may optionally besubstantially free of one or more of the following: hydrogen gas, oxygengas, and hydrocarbon precursors.

The surface to be treated may simply be the surface of a polymericsubstrate. Alternatively, the surface may be a polymeric coating on anunderlying substrate. In the latter embodiment the substrate may becomposed of a variety of materials, including, but not limited to,metals, polymers and ceramics. Suitable polymeric surface materialsinclude poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) andpolycarbonate (PC). Poly(acrylic acid) makes a particularly desirablepolymeric substrate coating.

The combination of high-hardness and low-friction makes these coatingsextremely attractive for numerous tribological applications.Furthermore, the fact that they can be produced at ambient temperaturesand over large surface areas makes it commercially attractive from thestand-point of cost-effectiveness and flexibility in the differentsubstrate materials and geometries that can be treated.

Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a parallel plate cold-plasma reactor foruse in producing hard carbon films.

FIG. 2 is a C_(1s) ESCA spectrum of poly(acrylic acid).

FIG. 3 is a C_(1s) ESCA spectrum of plasma-treated poly(acrylic acid).

FIG. 4 are Scanning electron micrographs of plasma-treated PAA coatingson various substrates.

FIG. 5 are Scanning electron micrographs of plasma-treated PC and PMMA.

FIG. 6 is a Fretting Wear test plot of untreated and plasma-treated PAAcoated stainless steel.

FIG. 7 is a Knoop Microhardness test plot of untreated andplasma-treated PAA coated stainless steel.

FIG. 8 is a Modulus plot of untreated and plasma-treated PC, PAA coatedPC and PMMA.

FIG. 9 is a Nanohardness plot of untreated and plasma-treated PC, PAAcoated PC and PMMA.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

This invention provides diamond-like films produced by convertingpolymeric surfaces into hard carbon films. Also provided are plasmatreatment methods for producing the films and plasma treated articlescoated with the films. These hard-carbon films are synthesized byexposing a polymer surface to a plasma containing SF_(x) species, wherex is less than 6, under conditions that allow the polymeric film to beconverted into a hard, high carbon-content film. The treated surfacesmay be the surfaces of an appropriate polymeric substrate or they may becomposed of a polymeric coating on a substrate. The films may be formedunder room temperature, low pressure environments. The films differ fromconventional carbon films produced using hydrocarbon precursors in thatthe films are made by converting the carbon in the polymeric surfacesinto a hard carbon film, without the need to deposit carbon fromprecursor molecules.

The films may be produced on a variety of articles having a wide rangeof shapes and sizes, provided the articles have a suitable organicpolymeric surface. Suitable articles include, but are not limited to,windows, medical implants, lenses, such as eyeglass lenses, and thelike.

The films are characterized by high hardness and low friction and may beproduced relatively easily and inexpensively over large surface areas ona variety of articles. In some embodiments, the films will have a carboncontent of at least about 90 atomic percent. This includes embodimentswhere the films have a carbon content of at least about 92 atomicpercent, further includes embodiments where the films have a carboncontent of at least about 95 atomic percent and still further includesembodiments where the films have a carbon content of at least about 98atomic percent. It follows that the films will have correspondingly lowlevels of other atoms, such as oxygen, hydrogen or fluorine. Forexample, in some embodiments the films will have an oxygen content of nomore than about 5 atomic percent. This includes embodiments where theoxygen content in the films is no more than about 3 atomic percent andstill further includes embodiments where the oxygen content is no morethan about 1 atomic percent. Similarly, in some embodiments the filmswill have a hydrogen content of no more than about 5 atomic percent.This includes embodiments where the hydrogen content in the films is nomore than about 3 atomic percent and still further includes embodimentswhere the hydrogen content is no more than about 1 atomic percent. Theplasma treatment of the polymeric surfaces is desirably conducted underconditions that disfavor surface fluorination. Thus, in some instancesthe fluorine content of the films is no more than about 2 atomicpercent, in some cases no more than about 1 atomic percent and in stillother cases no more than about 0.5 atomic percent. In still other casesfluorine is substantially absent from the films.

The films desirably have high hardness values. Hardness may be measuredusing a low-load microhardness test, such as Knoop micro-indentation.For example, the films provided herein include, but are not limited to,those having a hardness value as measured by low-load Knoopmicrohardness at a load of 5 grams of at least 1300 kg/mm². In someembodiments, the films have a Mohs hardness value of at least 9 and insome instances at least 9.5 as determined by the fretting wear test,where a ruby ball (Mohs hardness of 9) is worn out when dragged in acircular motion on top of the film. The films may also desirably havelow friction. The friction of the films may also be measured using afretting wear test. This test is described in detail in the examplessection below. For example, the films may have frictions of no more thanabout 22% relative to hardened steel (40 vs. 180 arbitrary units) asmeasured by the fretting wear test. This includes films having frictionsof no more than about 15% and further includes films have frictions ofno more than about 13% as measured by the fretting wear test.

The thickness of the hard carbon films may vary depending on the desiredapplication and may be controlled by the conditions of the plasmatreatment, including the duration of exposure to the plasma. However,the films may typically have a thickness of up to and including about 10microns. This includes films having a thickness up to and includingabout 5 microns, desirably from about 0.5 to about 5 microns. Films ofup to about 5 microns will typically be optically transparent. Although,the films disclosed herein are not limited to those having a thicknessin the above-cited ranges.

Without wishing or intending to be bound to any particular theory of theinvention, the inventors believe that the plasma treatment has atwo-fold affect on such polymeric surfaces. Specifically, it is believedthat under appropriate plasma conditions, the SF₍₁₋₅₎ species in theplasma extract oxygen and/or hydrogen atoms from the surface layers,leaving the dangling carbons bonds to react with one another, whilesimultaneously and preferentially etching away less ordered surfacezones or domains relative to the more ordered domains. The resultinghard carbon films are heavily cross-linked networks having very highcarbon content and are characterized by ordered macromolecularstructures. As such, the hard carbon films produced herein differsignificantly from more conventional diamond-like carbon films, such asthose made from plasma deposition of hydrocarbon precursors, which arecharacterized by polycrystalline structures composes of crystallinedomains embedded in amorphous domains.

Polymeric surfaces that may be converted into hard-carbon filmsaccording the plasma treatment methods disclosed herein may be composedof high or low molecular weight polymers. The polymers desirably containcarbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms. Examples of such polymers include,but are not limited to poly(acrylic acid), poly(methyl methacrylate) andpolycarbonate. When non-oxygen-containing polymers, such aspolyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene are used, it is desirablefor the polymers to be at least partially oxidized prior to plasmatreatment. In some instances the substrates are themselves polymers. Inother cases, the polymers are coated or deposited onto a substrate of adifferent material in order to provide a polymeric surface. Poly(acrylicacid) is a desirable substrate coating. When a polymer-coated substrateis used, the substrate may be made of a wide variety of materials,including, but not limited to, stainless steel, silica, quartz, glass orpolymers, including those listed above.

When the plasmas are used to treat the surface of an uncoated polymericsubstrate the surface layers are simply converted into hard-carbonfilms. When the plasmas are used to treat coated substrates, the filmsmay be thought of as overlay coatings on the underlying substrates. Whenthe polymeric surface to be converted is a thin polymer layer on anunderlying substrate, the thin layer may be wholly or partiallyconverted into a hard carbon film. Either way, because the films arecreated from the substrates themselves or out of pre-deposited coatings,the production of the films avoids many of the adhesion problemsassociated with more conventional methods of applying carbon films tosurfaces. In fact, when the surface layers of a polymeric substrate areconverted into a hard carbon film, the film is actually integrated intothe underlying substrate through partially converted polymer chainswhich bridge the interface between the hard carbon films and theunderlying substrate. Some, portions of these bridging polymer chainshave been cross-linked and incorporated into the hard carbon film, whileother portions remain unconverted and incorporated into the substrate.As such, these partially converted polymer chains may be thought of as atransition layer between the hard carbon film and the underlyingsubstrate.

The integration makes it possible to produce a film having a compositionthat transitions integrally into the composition of the substrate. Assuch, the composition at the interface between the film and theunderlying polymer substrate may comprise a compositional gradient whichdiffers from the abrupt interface achieved by other coating processes.

The polymeric coatings may be deposited onto the substrates by anysuitable deposition means. Many such means are well known, including,but not limited to spin coating, dipping, casting, and the like.

Plasma treatment of the polymeric surfaces may be conducted in anysuitable plasma reactor. Many such reactors are well-known andcommercially available. Suitable reactors include continuous plasmareactors, low-pressure plasma reactors, and atmospheric-pressure plasmareactors.

The hard-carbon films are produced under plasma conditions which convertthe polymeric surfaces into hard-carbon films. These conditions may varydepending on a variety of factors, including reactor type and the natureof the surface material to be treated. However, the reactor willtypically operate at a pressure of between about 50 and about 500 mTorr,a power of about 50 to about 500 watts, and a temperature of about 20 toabout 100° C. The SF_(x) (x=1-5) species may generally be produced froman SF₆ precursor gas. In addition, the precursor gas may include othernon-reactive carrier species, such as noble gases. In some embodiments,the precursor gas is substantially free of O₂, H₂ or hydrocarbons.Typically, the ratio of SF₆ to carrier species will be from about 99:1to about 1:1. The reaction time may vary depending on how thick a filmis desired. However, one advantage of the present plasma treatmentmethods is that, under certain conditions, they may produce ahard-carbon film on a polymeric substrate in no more than about 10minutes. This includes embodiments where a hard-carbon film is producedin no more than about 5 minutes.

The examples below demonstrate that a soft polymeric surface, such as aPAA surface, can be converted to a material substantially harder thanone of the hardest steels known, through a 5-minute plasma treatment andthe resulting formation of nanometer size scale granular structures.Without wishing or intending to be bound to any particular theory of theinvention, the inventors believe the surprising and unexpected resultsmay be explained as follows. It is well-known that SF₄ converts C═O andCOOH functionalities into CF₂ and CF₃ groups even under conventional,non-plasma-chemistry environments, and also transforms metal oxides intofluorides, which usually are in the same oxidation state. See, e.g.,Cotton, F. A.; Wilkinson, G., Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, John Wiley &Sons, 1988. Recent data also indicate that oxygen atoms can be removedfrom C—O linkages in SF₆-RF-plasma environments. See Cruz-Barba, L. E.;Manolache, S.; and Denes, F., Novel Plasma Approach for the Synthesis ofHighly Fluorinated Thin Surface Layers, Langmuir 2002, 18(24), pp9393-9400. Plasma-generated SF_(x) (x<6) ion species as well as neutralspecies might also play a significant role in these oxygen-removalprocesses. Fragmentation of SF₆ molecules in the dischargesimultaneously generates extremely reactive fluorine atoms, which leadto the formation of fluorine molecules through recombination mechanisms,and initiates hydrogen atom-extraction reactions, eventually leading tothe generation of HF and carbon-based free-radical species.

The inventors believe the simultaneous plasma-enhanced extraction ofoxygen and hydrogen atoms from low and high molecular weight structurescomposed of C, O, and H atoms may be responsible for the unique hardcarbon structures under appropriate experimental parameters using theappropriate polymeric surfaces. It is also possible that SF_(x) and Factive plasma species will preferentially etch the amorphous domains ofmacromolecular chain assemblies, relative to the more ordered zones.Plasma-enhanced oxygen extraction and dehydrogenation processes willeventually lead to the accumulation of shorter sp² and sp linkagesrelative to the Sp³ bonds, with the development of macromolecularchain-shrinking mechanisms. This process might also lead to theformation of more tightly packed (higher density) carbon-chain segments.

The production of hard carbon films from polymeric surfaces is furtherillustrated by the following non-limiting examples.

EXAMPLES

Equipment:

A reactor of the type shown in FIG. 1 was first decontaminated bysuccessively treating in it plasmas of argon and oxygen gases procuredfrom Liquid Carbonic. Poly(acrylic acid) solutions (average Mw: 240,000)and SF₆ were purchased from Aldrich Chemical. PAA thin layers werepre-deposited from aqueous solutions (5% in DIUF-water) on selectsubstrates using the spin-coating process. A Laurell TechnologiesWS-400A-6NPP/Lite Spin Coater was used for this purpose, and a 0.5 μmfilm of PAA was deposited. Substrates for deposition included,commercially available 1″ diameter AISI 52100 bearing steel discs, 2″diameter silicon wafers, polycarbonate (PC), poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA), and polystyrene (PS).

The relative surface atomic compositions and the C_(1s) and O_(1s)linkages located in non-equivalent atomic positions of untreated PAA andplasma modified PAA surface layers were determined using a Perkin ElmerPhysical Electronics 5400 small area ESCA system (Mg source; 15 kV; 300W; 45° takeoff angle). In order to correct for surface-charge-originbinding energy shifts, calibrations were performed based on thewell-known C_(1s) peak that is observed at a binding energy of 285 eV.Surface morphologies of PAA-coated, plasma modified substrates wereobserved using a LEO 1530 Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM).

Hardness measurements and wear testing were performed using a low-loadmicrohardness testing and nano-indentation techniques, and a frettingwear testing apparatus, respectively. In low-load microhardness testing,a fine oblong, pyramidal indenter (Knoop indenter, diagonal to depthratio 30:1) is impressed on the surface of the sample with a certainload. In the present study loads of 5, 10, and 25 grams were used. Thelong diagonal of the resulting oblong impression on the sample surfaceis measured at 1000× magnification (because of the exceedingly smallindentation size) using a microscope integrated with the hardness testerand correlated to the sample hardness. Microhardness measurements weremade for a steel sample substrate before and after plasma surfacemodification treatment.

Since the indentation measurements are made after the applied load isremoved, microhardness tests are not suitable for measurements onpolymeric substrates which exhibit a high anelastic component of thedeformation, resulting in a substantial recovery of the indentation uponthe removal of the load. For these reasons, nanohardness measurementswere performed to determine the hardness of the plasma-surface modifiedPAA film pre-deposited on polycarbonate and poly(methyl methacrylate)substrates. In nanohardness testing, a triangular pyramid shapedindenter is impressed on the sample with very low loads, and a loadversus displacement plot is continuously generated as the indenterpresses into the sample. Similarly, load versus displacement plots aregenerated upon unloading. Elastic and anelastic materials show asubstantial hysteresis between the loading and unloading curves, whichenables the evaluation of the elastic modulus.

For the present study, measurements of hardness and elastic modulus wereperformed using a Nano Indenter® DCM and MTS' patented ContinuousStiffness Measurement (CSM) technique, at the MTS facility at Oak Ridge,Tenn. With this technique, each indent gives hardness and elasticmodulus as a continuous function of the indenter's displacement into thesamples. Ten indentations were performed on each sample. Loading wascontrolled such that the loading rate divided by the load was heldconstant at 0.05/sec. Experiments were terminated at a depth ofapproximately 500 nm. Using the hysteresis produced by the unloadingcurve, the elastic modulus was also measured.

With the CSM technique employed, each indentation experiment allows acontinuous measure of the contact stiffness, S. See Oliver, W. C.;Pharr, G. M. An improved technique for determining hardness and elasticmodulus using load and displacement sensing indentation experiments,Journal of Materials Research 1992, 7(6), pp 1564-1583, which isincorporated herein by reference. Using the dynamic measure of S, andestablished formulae for elastic modulus and hardness (see, e.g.,Oliver, W. C.; Pharr, G. M., An improved technique for determininghardness and elastic modulus using load and displacement sensingindentation experiments, Journal of Materials Research 1992, 7(6), pp1564-1583; and Hay, J. L.; and Pharr, G. M., Instrumental IndentationTesting, In ASM Handbook of Mechanical Testing and Evaluation, Volume 8,pp 232-243, 2000, which are incorporated herein by reference), everyindividual indentation experiment yields elastic modulus and hardness asa continuous function of surface penetration.

The results for elastic modulus and hardness versus penetration for theten indentation experiments on a particular sample are averaged togetherusing discrete displacement windows of approximately 5 nm. Using thedata in each window, an average and standard deviation are calculated.

The relative friction of the uncoated and coated steel samples weremeasured using a specially designed fretting wear tester, as describedin Sandstrom, P. W.; Sridharan, K.; and Conrad, J. R., A machine forfretting wear testing of plasma surface modified materials, Wear 1993,166(2), pp 163-168, which is incorporated herein by reference. Frettingwear refers to small displacement amplitude, high frequency oscillatorymotion between two solid surfaces in contact. It thus provides forconcentrated wear over a very small area. In this system, a sphericalstylus is impressed on the test flat sample with a specific load andoscillated over short distances (10-500 μm) at high frequencies (10-100Hz). The machine uses an electromagnetic actuator to provide this kindof high frequency, oscillatory motion. The design of the machineprovides measurement of relative friction at the resonant frequencyduring the progress of the fretting wear tests.

The present study was conducted using a 3 mm diameter ruby (sapphire)ball stylus and an applied force of 0.2 N. The stylus material waschosen because of its high hardness and chemical inertness. The testswere carried out for 10,000 cycles over a linear displacement of 100 μm.The tests were performed at the resonant frequency of the machine whichwas determined to be 42 Hz (with the inclusion of the sample mass). Atthis frequency the machine is most sensitive to external dissipativeforces, such as friction. The tests were performed in ambient conditionswithout a lubricant.

Plasma Modification of Surfaces:

Low-pressure plasma-enhanced surface-modification reactions of thecoated PAA films using an SF₆-derived plasma, were carried out in acylindrical, capacitively coupled RF-plasma-reactor made of stainlesssteel and equipped with a 40 kHz power supply. The reactor consists ofdisc-shaped stainless steel electrodes; 20 cm in diameter, with a 5 cmgap between electrodes. A schematic illustration of the plasma reactoris shown in FIG. 1. The apparatus includes an inlet for the gases comingfrom mass-flow controllers 101; a gas mixing chamber 102; a stainlesssteel cylindrical chamber 103; an electric insulator ring 104; aheating/cooling capable upper electrode 105, and a grounded lowerelectrode 106; a vacuum line connected to a liquid nitrogen trap 107;and an RF power supply. The plasma surface treatments were performed for5 minutes at 200 Watts RF power; at 200 mTorr pressure, and at roomtemperature. Another suitable reactor for use with the methods describedherein is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,232, which is incorporatedherein by reference.

In a typical experiment, PAA solution was spin-coated onto a specificsubstrate surface, dried in a vacuum-oven at 45° C. and positionedsymmetrically on the lower (grounded) electrode of the RF plasmareactor. The chamber was then evacuated to the base pressure, and oncethe pre-selected pressure was established by the introduction of theprecursor gas, the plasma was ignited and sustained at the desired RFpower for the desired treatment time. At the end of the reaction, thesystem was evacuated to base pressure, then purged with argon inre-pressurizing/evacuation cycles, and the sample was removed from thereactor and stored until analytical evaluations were initiated.

Results:

Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) data collected fromPAA thin layers before and after low pressure plasma surface treatmentsindicated the presence of very high relative carbon surface atomiccomposition (>95%) and a low oxygen atomic concentration. Typical ESCAspectra presented in FIGS. 2 and 3, show that the oxygen atoms arepresent in the form of C—O linkages (286.5 eV) and the C—C bonds appearin their unsaturated form (284.7 eV). This clearly indicates that mostof the oxygen atoms were extracted from the PAA structure as a result ofthe interaction of SF_(x) (x<6) ion species with the PAA layer. Inaddition, dehydrogenation mechanisms by HF formation appear to play asignificant role in the formation of novel carbon-based structures. Itwas also noted that, under the processing conditions used (200 W; 200mTorr, 5 minutes) the surface fluorination processes are negligible.

The plasma-treatment experiments performed using PAA-coated anduntreated PMMA and PC substrates indicate that surface dehydrogenationand fluorination mechanisms can conveniently be controlled. This opensup very attractive possibilities for the controlled generation ofdiamond-like films.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of 0.5 μm PAA-coated,plasma-treated surfaces on the various substrates are shown in FIG. 4.In addition, SEM images of the plasma treated PMMA and PC without priordeposition of PAA film are shown in FIG. 5. The remarkable similaritiesin their structures appear to indicate that these specificsurface-morphologies can be produced either as over-lay coatings (e.g.,on metals) or by the intrinsic conversion of near-surface regions ofoxygen- and carbon-based organic polymer substrates into orderedcarbon-domain arrays.

The uniform and unique granular surface morphologies generated as aresult of the plasma surface treatment suggests that the plasma speciesof charged and neutral SF_(x) (x<6), as well as fluorine atoms and ions,etch selectively the less ordered macromolecular-chain-assembliesrelative to the more ordered domains (crystallites). In addition theyappear to facilitate the efficient extraction of oxygen and hydrogenatoms from the top layers of the polymeric structures. The slightdifferences in topography for the ordered macromolecular clusters(carbon domains) generated by SF₆-derived plasma on various polymersurfaces, might be related to the existence of different ab initiocrystallite-domain densities in the precursor macromolecular layers. Theformation of ordered-carbon-structures however, might be a result ofmechanisms similar to those occurring in the CVD and PECVD deposition ofdiamond-like structures, where the excess hydrogen atoms promote thedominant hydrogen extraction and graphite ablation processes.

Wear and hardness measurements performed on plasma-modified polymericlayers are indicative of the formation of very hard structures. Initialscratch testing with a stainless steel knife (Mohs hardness of 5.5)indicated qualitatively that the plasma surface modified films were veryslippery and resistant to scratching. Due to an enormous demand for wearand erosion resistant coatings in a wide variety of industries, surfacehardness and friction measurements of these samples was performed

FIG. 6 shows the results of the low-load micro-hardness tests performedat various loads on the steel sample deposited with PAA and thensubjected to SF₆-derived plasma surface treatment. For comparison, themicro-hardness measurements made on untreated steel are also shown. Thehardness of the coated sample is substantially higher than the untreatedsteel. As mentioned earlier, in microhardness testing, depending uponthe load, the indentation depth is larger than or at least a substantialfraction of the surface film thickness. Therefore, at larger test loads,substantial substrate effects are incorporated and the hardness of thecoated sample approaches that of the uncoated sample. As the test loadis decreased, the indentation depth approaches the film thickness andthe enhanced hardness of the film becomes more apparent. However, evenat the lowest loads employed, the indentation depth is a substantialfraction of the film thickness and the hardness improvements areunderestimated. This combined with the fact that the steel hardness isalready very high leads one to speculate that the intrinsic hardness ofthe film is indeed very high.

FIG. 7 shows the results of the friction results after the fretting weartests against a ruby ball stylus. Note that the friction against thecoated sample is about three times lower than the steel. It was alsonoted that the ruby ball (a variety of corundum, Al₂O₃) involved in thewear-test experiment experienced considerable wear the plasma surfacemodified layer. Given the high hardness of corundum, this observationprovides a testament to the high hardness of the surface layers producedby plasma surface treatment. FIG. 7 also reveals that the hardness ofthe coating is substantially higher than that of steel. Fretting dataresulting from coated and unmodified steel substrates (FIG. 7)substantiate the conclusion that the plasma-generated carbon-layersexhibit an extremely hard character.

It is understood that the invention is not confined to the particularembodiments set forth herein as illustrative, but embraces all suchforms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.

1. A method for producing a hard carbon film on a polymeric surface, themethod comprising: (a) exposing the surface to a plasma comprising oneor more SF_(x) species where x may range from 1 to 5; and (b) convertingthe polymeric surface into a film comprising at least about 90 atomicpercent carbon.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric surfacecomprises carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the polymeric surface is oxidized.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the polymeric surface is converted into a film comprising atleast about 95 atomic percent carbon.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe surface is exposed to the plasma at a pressure from about 50 to 500mTorr.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface is exposed to theplasma at a temperature from about 20 to 100° C.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein the surface is exposed to the plasma for no more than about10 minutes.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric surfacecomprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of poly(acrylicacid), poly(methyl methacrylate) and polycarbonate.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the polymeric surface comprises a polymer selected fromthe group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric surface is comprised of apolymeric layer disposed on an underlying substrate.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the polymeric layer comprises poly(acrylic acid). 12.The method of claim 1, wherein the polymeric surface is exposed to theplasma for a time sufficient to produce a film comprising no more thanabout 5 atomic percent oxygen.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein thepolymeric surface is exposed to the plasma for a time sufficient toproduce a film comprising no more than about 1 atomic percent hydrogen.14. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposure of the polymeric surfaceto the plasma produces a film comprising no more than about 1 atomicpercent fluorine.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plasma issubstantially free of oxygen.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein theplasma is substantially free of hydrocarbon precursors.
 17. The methodof claim 1, wherein the polymeric surface is exposed to the plasma for atime sufficient to produce a film having a thickness from about 0.5 to 5microns.
 18. A surface-modified substrate comprising: (a) a substrate;and (b) a surface film comprising a cross-linked network of carbonchains disposed on the substrate, wherein the surface film comprises atleast 90 atomic percent carbon.
 19. The surface modified substrate ofclaim 18, wherein the surface film comprises a polymer from whichhydrogen atoms, oxygen atoms, or a combination of hydrogen and oxygenatoms have been extracted.